Is a 6 foot rotary cutter maximum size with only 43 PTO horsepower?

[plowhog]

I am trying to sort out conflicting opinions. Some say 43 PTO horsepower is limited to only a 6 foot rotary cutter, others say 7, 8, or even 10 foot is OK. I noticed the HP requirements vary quite a bit by brand. I have 12 acres +/- that I need a rotary cutter for, and I want heavy duty bulletproof design if I can get that.

Next, I looked at rotary cutter specs. In general, is it better to buy a cutter in the mid-range of a spec, at the bottom, or top? So, if one rotary cutter is advertised to need 30-60 PTO horsepower, and another 40-80 PTO horsepower, does it matter what you choose, with 43 PTO HP, as long as you are within the spec?

 

[KYErik]

A big factor is how heavy the brush is and how fast you go. You could get a 10 footer if you go slower or have a light load.

 

[bcp]

Then there is initial cutting, and maintenance cutting.

Bruce

 

[George2615]

The general rule is 5 PTO HP per foot of implement. You have 43 PTO HP so an 8'er would work fine. As mentioned a 10'er would work on light brush and going slow.

 

[TheMan419]

I have a 25 horse tractor with a 5 foot. There is some rule of thumb that you need 5 hp per foot of hog. So I would be at the absolute max.

I can tell you in basic weeds that are waist high or taller I could run something wider. I think if I was cutting thicker like maybe small saplings I would be pushing my max.

So I think the bottom line is it highly depends on what you are cutting. I am cutting about 10 acres a few times a year for home use. It was 5 feet tall weeds when I first wanted to cut it. I hired that out for a few hundred bucks to a local farmer. His big tractor and bat wing hog made short work out of what would have taken me DAYS to get done.

My terrain is northern Indiana so flat flat flat. I am sure hills would cause a difference in the deal as well.

I know not much help, but there is no hard and fast rule.

 

[plowhog]

I am occasionally at this property, so it would be safe to presume up to 2 foot high grass or weeds. Green in spring, brown in summer fall. No saplings, mostly "mowing" type work. The terrain is flat to gentle slope. Anywhere with a slope more than that I can mow up/down instead of side to side.

 

[Soundguy]

another thing to think about is weight. an 8' dual spindle is easier to pull than a 7' single.. which is very heavy and just over 7' long and wide.. whereas a 8' dual spindle is just over 8' wide, but only just over 4' long.

 

[strum456]

If you are planning on lifiting with the 3 point hitch, then yes, a 6 foot will be about it. Even a 6' will require ballast in the front.

 

[jimmysisson]

We have something called June grass here that would want 7 hp per foot - wiry, 18" tall, dense - really takes a lot to cut. 5' weeds are dead easy in comparison. So it depends what you're cutting.
Jim

 

[Rustyiron]

Like Soundguy said.
I've had a lot of different tractor's & mowers. Sure you can bog down a mower, but just because you have enough power does not mean you can rip through a 3' tall overgrown field at 5 mph, 6' mower or a 18' bat wing. Anything you mow will need to spend a certain amount of time under the blades getting chopped up regardless of HP. I have pulled a twin spindle 8' trailed mower with less HP than 43, but the weight of a 3 pt mower would have made this impossible or at least scary.